Two-Year Trajectory of Stimulant Use in 18- to 21-Year-Old Rural African Americans

• NCJ Number: 230008
• Journal: Substance Abuse Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: January-March 2010 Pages: 12-23
• Author(s): Teresa L. Kramer Ph.D.; Brenda M. Booth Ph.D.; Xiaotong Han M.S.
• Date Published: January 2010
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 DA015363
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study revealed substance use trajectories over a 24-month period for young adult African-Americans identified as having used cocaine or methamphetamine 30 days prior to interview.

Abstract

Little is known about stimulant use trajectories of rural African American youth. The purpose of the present study is to explore substance use over 24 months in 98 African Americans, ages 18 to 21, who used cocaine or methamphetamine 30 days prior to baseline. The majority was male, unemployed, and had not graduated from high school. At baseline, almost half of the participants met criteria for abuse/dependence of cocainethe primary stimulant usedwhich decreased to 25 percent by the final follow-up. Similar decreases were noted in rates of alcohol and marijuana abuse/dependence, although monthly use remained high. Participants reported minimal utilization of mental health or substance abuse services, but demonstrated significant improvements on physical and mental health measures. In summary, cocaine use declined, but other substances were used at high rates, suggesting a significant need for intervention services that address multisubstance use in rural areas. Figures, tables, and references (Published Abstract)